An Old Dress Gives New Motivation

Lisa met her goal of losing 100 pounds by her 40th birthday, but the struggle continues. Click through to read about losing the first 100 pounds or click on the links below to read about the new challenges.More >>

Lisa met her goal of losing 100 pounds by her 40th birthday, but the struggle continues. Click through to read about losing the first 100 pounds or click on the links below to read about the new challenges.More >>

I tried writing in this space about a month ago and got three paragraphs into it before I gave up. I just feel like I'm saying the same things over and over and not making any real changes that stick. But all I can do is try again and keep trying until I get out of this rut.More >>

Do the words "tax return" send shivers down your spine because you always end up with a gigantic headache and little or no tax refund at the end? Maybe the problem is in preparation and planning – or lack of it.

Do the words "tax return" send shivers down your spine because you always end up with a gigantic headache and little or no tax refund at the end? Maybe the problem is in preparation and planning – or lack of it.

I've been hovering around the 60 pound mark for about a month now, losing and then gaining back the same 2-3 pounds. I don't think it's a plateau so much as a preview of what's to come as we head into the holiday season. Recently I've gone on vacation and a business trip and attended a family wedding. Lots to distract from a diet!

Regardless, I had an experience this weekend that made me feel so good that I don't really care that I haven't lost anything new as long as I'm maintaining at this low (for now!) point.

I was in my apartment getting ready for my cousin's wedding and suddenly had a feeling that I was just not dressed up enough. The wedding was "black tie invited" and my mom had taken me out to buy a new dress as a way to celebrate my weight loss so far.

It was a very nice dress, but it didn't really feel like a "party" dress - at least not something appropriate for a black tie wedding at a sophisticated city venue.

It also didn't help that I couldn't find my favorite sparkly earrings that I thought would help brighten it up AND I was second-guessing my decision to go with a pretty pedicure in strappy shoes instead of stockings and pumps.

As I was putting my makeup on before heading up to meet my friend Ryan at Wicked on Broadway (where he works) so he could do my hair and feeling sort of bummed about the whole thing, I had an inspired thought -- I had an alternate dress in my closet: a long, strapless, black velvet dress that would be perfect.

A perfect dress that I hadn't been able to wear in 6 years.

I rushed out of the bathroom and into my closet and pulled it out. It was a size 16 -- the same size as a bunch of dresses I'd tried over the past week that had fit well. I'd been saving it figuring "someday" it would fit me again. I took a deep breath, hoped that "someday" was here, pulled off the other dress and slipped it over my head.

And couldn't zip it.

Well, at least not all the way. I could get it up about halfway and then it was just too hard to do myself. But it totally felt like it could, maybe, possibly be zipped. Just by somebody else. And I didn't have anybody else around.

So I called a friend who lives about a block away and asked him to come help. But, he wasn't home and couldn't get to me quickly. Luckily, while I was talking to him, we realized I could just wear the new dress up to meet Ryan and enlist Trent, who works in wardrobe, to dig into his bag of tricks and help me get into the old dress.

I finished putting on my makeup, found my sparkly earrings (!), and jumped into a cab up to 50th Street.

When Trent came to get me at the stage door, I explained the situation to him and asked him to please, please help. We headed to the ladies bathroom and, after warning him that whichever way it went, fitting or not, I might cry, I put the dress on and, sure enough, within a few minutes, and only employing one trick, he had me all zipped up!

I was so excited! I think I might have actually been speechless for a moment.

After Ryan did my hair, I felt like Cinderella as I headed to the wedding and I felt great all night long - probably the best I've felt since I started this journey!

And then I proceeded to over-eat at the wedding and to continue my leniency with myself at brunch the next day.

But, you know what? When I woke up on Monday morning and looked at the dress I hadn't worn in 6 years crumpled up in my laundry basket after being worn to a fabulous event, it was so easy to get back on track!

I headed to work and got right back on my program and when I weighed in on Tuesday, I even had a 1-pound loss to log for the week.

I think this is a real turning point for me - and a lesson to take into the holidays. I'm not saying that it's a great idea to just "let go" for any and all special occasions, BUT I do think that the best thing to do after a lapse is to just get going again.

Don't berate yourself. Don't wish you had done better. Don't wonder about how you could have been better. Don't eat to make yourself feel better about having eaten!

Just wake up. Accept that it's a new day. Don't look back. And get to work again.

When you look at the big picture, no day or weekend or even week is going to be able to derail you from your efforts unless you let it. It may slow you down, but it can't stop you.

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